


slipping through the cracks of a dark eternity

by trashgoblinwizardparty



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Girls, F/F, Femslash, Genderbending, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Probably a happy ending, chock fulla anime tropes, even hagrid, when i say genderbending i do mean it. everyone is a lady in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26324263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashgoblinwizardparty/pseuds/trashgoblinwizardparty
Summary: Harrie Potter is just a normal thirteen-year-old starting her third year at Hogwarts School for Girls.Until one day an owl flies in through Severa Snape's Home Ec classroom window while Harrie is serving detention and tells her she's not, in fact, normal at all.Meanwhile, Tommie Riddle is plotting to take over the world.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle
Comments: 8
Kudos: 18
Collections: Tomarry Reverse Big Bang 2020





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> wonderful art by [ tia!](https://tianshiisdead.tumblr.com/)
> 
> this is only the first two (and a half) chapters but haha there will be an ending! 
> 
> betaed by my esteemed wives, cy and red ♥♥♥

The pendulum swung forward. 

Backward. 

Forward. 

Harrie took a deep breath, choking back the tears that burned her eyes, as she cradled Tommie’s head in her lap. Tommie’s blood spread in a dark pool across the face of the Clock, soaking Harrie’s stockings and skirt with red. The blood almost matched the red trim of her mahou-uniform. She would burn this outfit, she swore, and would never take up the mantle of “Maiden of Heaven” again. 

She stroked Tommie’s long black hair and gripped her cold hand tightly, offering what comfort she could. Tommie’s grip was slackening, and her breath came in awful, shallow gurgles. Red stained Tommie’s lips. Red stained Harrie’s hands. 

Harrie’s Spear of Heaven still glittered golden like justice, mocking, from Tommie’s back. Tommie’s own weapon, the Hell Glaive, lay shattered, its dark shards strewn across the face of the Clock of Fate. 

Tommie stirred. Red froth bubbled from between her lips, and she opened her eyes. They were once again brown, no longer the red, glowing embers of the Maiden of Hell. 

“I wish it didn’t have to be this way,” Harrie whispered, cradling Tommie’s cold cheek in her palm. 

“Then change it,” Tommie said. 

The words came out strained, and even more blood rushed from her mouth. 

Harrie held her best friend and worst enemy as the light went out of her eyes. 

Harrie closed her own eyes, and let the tears flow freely. Teardrops hit the surface of the Clock. 

The pendulum swung forward.

Backward. 

Stopped. 

Both Harrie and Tommie were enveloped in a bright, golden light, and Harrie knew no more. 


	2. An owl!? In the classroom!?

**Eight months ago:**

Harrie bounded after the departing train, pounding across the platform. Her backpack was slung over her shoulder and her uniform jacket was on inside out. A piece of toast dangled from her mouth. 

Just as the train was about to clear the platform, she leapt. Luck was with her today, because it seemed even the wind wanted her to catch that train. Her hand grasped the railing of the very last car. She clung for dear life as the train gathered speed out of the station, uncaring that she was getting strange looks from people in their cars commuting to work. The wind from the train whipped her uniform skirt up around her waist—something that would be mortifying for other thirteen-year-old girls—but Harrie had learned long ago to wear a pair of shorts underneath. It seemed school uniform skirts in particular had a very strained relationship with the laws of gravity. 

Harrie clambered gracelessly over the railing and slid down to sit in a very unladylike sprawl. She munched on her toast and hoped the class prefects hadn’t seen her. 

Just as she thought she might be off the hook, the back door of the train slid open. 

A tall, beautiful girl with long black hair and eyes so dark they were almost as black stood in the doorway. Her eyes raked over Harrie, taking in her disheveled appearance from her messy hair to the laces of her left shoe, which had come undone. Harrie flushed, her heart pounding madly in her chest. 

Tommie Riddle. Prefect of class 3A. Perfect grades, perfect looks, basically the opposite of Harrie in every way. 

Harrie tried for a cheeky grin but had a feeling it fell short and landed firmly in ‘grimace’ territory. “Running a bit late, sorry.” 

Tommie raised a perfect, dark eyebrow and said nothing. Harrie scrambled up and brushed the toast crumbs from her uniform blouse, very aware of how shabby she looked in comparison to Tommie, and followed the prefect into the train car. 

* * *

Hogwarts School for Girls stood imposingly upon a high hill and towered over the city. Girls from all over the country came here to learn a wide variety of subjects. Graduates of Hogwarts School often went on to be very successful in their chosen fields. It was a boarding school, but also took day students from the city. Harrie was a day student. Tommie Riddle had come from a village called Little Hangleton, and so boarded there during the school year. 

When Harrie had started her first year, she had been living with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. They had only grudgingly allowed her to attend. In fact, it took having their front door broken down by a tall, wild-looking Amazon—Ruby Hagrid, Keeper of the Grounds and Keys—to convince them. Hagrid had explained Harrie’s mother had been Head Girl at Hogwarts back in her day. Which meant Harrie was a Legacy—the daughter of an alumnus—and thus, had a free pass to attend Hogwarts School. That first year, Harrie stayed in the dorms with the other first year girls of her house. 

But what the headmistress, Albia Dumbledore, didn’t know, was that Harrie had been living on her own in a small flat above a pub ever since the summer after her first year. Her family had moved out to the country, apparently, without telling her. She’d arrived at number 4, Privet Drive at the end of June to find the house put up for sale and the Dursleys nowhere to be found. 

She’d wandered around before finding Leaky’s, a pub that was looking for a cleaning lady. Harrie was the only one who applied for the job. Tom, the owner, was friendly and kind and didn’t ask questions. And so after school, Harrie scrubbed mugs and glasses and cleaned rooms in exchange for room and board. It was nice to have a disposable income, too. During her second year, Harrie opted to keep her part-time job and became a day student. Although she did miss sharing a dorm with her best friends, Hermione and Ronnie. 

Now, it was a week into her third year and she’d already embarrassed herself in front of Tommie Riddle. As a prefect, it was Tommie’s job to ensure Hogwarts School day student girls behaved themselves on the train. Harrie fell into step behind Tommie while shrugging off her uniform jacket and putting it back on right side out. 

Tommie cast one last unreadable look at Harrie before moving on to the prefect’s car at the front of the train. Harrie spotted a nearly empty compartment and slid inside. She put her back against the door and raked her fingers through her already unkempt hair, and let out a frustrated groan. The businessmen in the train car pretended not to notice her. 

* * *

“You look like shit, Harrie,” Ronnie said.

They were walking up the tree-lined path to the main building of Hogwarts School. Ronnie and Hermione always met Harrie at the train stop so they could walk to school together. 

“Veronica Weasley!” Hermione gasped, offended. “Language!” 

“Sorry. You look like _excrement_ , Harrie,” Ronnie corrected, dodging a swipe from Hermione. 

“Why must you say all those disgusting things?” Hermione said, exasperated. 

Ronnie gave her a cheeky grin. “Someone has to!” 

But Harrie laughed, her spirits instantly lifted by her friends’ antics. She took her place in between her tall, freckled ginger friend and her short, round, bushy-haired friend. 

“I had to run to catch the train,” Harrie said. “And Riddle caught me.” 

“The ice queen of Slytherin House?” Ronnie asked. “You’re lucky she didn’t give you a million detentions!”

“You know, if you were actually on time, this wouldn’t happen,” Hermione admonished. 

“I knoooowww,” Harrie groaned. “But I was running late because I’d had a strange dream and slept through my alarm!” 

Hermione gave her a look as if she expected Harrie to be in better control of her subconscious. She opened her mouth, but the bell rang before she could say anything. 

“Oops, time for class! Guess you’ll have to save the lecture for later!” Ronnie said, with a wink at Harrie. 

The three of them made their way to the first class of the day. 

* * *

Another day, another detention. Professor Severa Snape, the gaunt, greasy-haired old harridan who ruled over the Home Ec class, had it in for her. Harrie gazed longingly out the window at the golden, sunlit afternoon where the other girls laughed and talked under the trees. She was stuck inside, scrubbing the pots and pans after the first year class had their lesson. 

Snape sat at her desk, grading food safety quizzes. From the look of her furious scribbling with a red pen, none of the first years quite grasped the concept of food safety. Harrie continued scrubbing baked-on cheese from the pans while Snape became more and more exasperated.

Finally, Snape stood up. “I trust you will continue your detention on your own, while I go for a stroll, Potter.” 

Harrie nodded mutely, shoving her glasses up her nose with the back of her rubber glove-clad wrist. What Snape really meant was she was going to go smoke on the balcony of the teacher’s lounge. But for Harrie, that meant a few blessed minutes of Snape-free time. Snape swept from the room and slammed the door behind her. Harrie threw her sponge down and peeled off her gloves. She went over to the windows and cranked one open. Warm, early autumn air wafted in, bringing with it the scents of sun-baked grass and falling leaves. Harrie leaned on the windowsill, letting the breeze ruffle her hair. 

Something flashed white in the sky. 

Harrie squinted and adjusted her glasses. There it was again, closer this time. Whatever it was moved very fast. It darted from treetop to treetop, diving between branches and ruffling leaves. 

Too late, Harrie realized it was coming straight for her. 

She backed away from the window and tripped over her own feet as a great, white snowy owl rocketed in through the window. Harrie landed hard on her backside just as the owl landed with supernatural grace upon Snape’s desk. 

Harrie blinked at the owl. The owl blinked back. 

The owl tilted its head first to one side, and then the other, its amber-gold eyes never leaving Harrie’s face. The moment stretched on so long, Harrie was afraid Snape would come back and somehow blame Harrie for her desk being full of owl. 

The owl blinked again. “You’ll do,” it said. 

“What?” Harrie said. 

“I’ve chosen you to be my champion, the Maiden of Heaven,” the owl said. 

“The… the what?” 

The owl tilted its head back the other way, regarding Harrie with a look of owlish exasperation. “I said,” it began in a much louder voice, as if Harrie were hard of hearing. “You,”—at this the owl gestured to Harrie with a snowy-white wing—“are going to be my”—the owl gestured to itself—“champion. The Maiden”—here the owl moved both wings in an hourglass shape—“of Heaven,” it finished, pointing to the ceiling. 

“I heard you! I just don’t understand,” Harrie snapped. 

“Well, you must be simple. Fantastic,” the owl sighed. “I suppose my opposite half had better luck with _her_ champion. She always seems to.” 

“What are you talking about?” Harry demanded. 

The owl straightened itself up and fluffed its feathers. “I am Hedwig, a Celestial being locked in an eternal battle with my sworn nemesis. Our battleground is Earth, and our chosen weapons are maidens of exceptional skill—” 

“But what does this have to do with _me_?” Harrie asked, picking herself up off the floor and dusting the seat of her skirt off. 

“It means I’ve chosen you to be my champion, as I believe I have said multiple times by now.” 

“But what does that _mean_?” 

“You really must be simple,” Hedwig muttered. “It means you will be my proxy in battle. But don’t worry, you’ll be given a special weapon.” 

“A special weapon? Battle?” Harrie repeated, alarmed. 

“Yes, I give all of my champions a Celestial weapon, one that conforms to their personality.” 

“I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to have a weapon at school. And I don’t want to fight anyone, which would get me expelled,” Harrie explained. “And I’m also sure that whatever cleaner Snape has me using to scrub pots and pans has gone to my head and made me hallucinate this whole thing.” 

Hedwig actually rolled her eyes. “Honestly.” 

Then, she launched herself into the air and did a sort of spiralling loop. The light from the window caught on her feathers and flashed so bright Harrie had to cover her eyes. There was a sound like distant windchimes, and the light burst like a bubble into a million glittering bits that rained down and vanished before hitting the floor. 

Harrie blinked again. Hedwig had something long and golden clenched in her talons. 

“Catch,” the owl said. 

Harrie’s reflexes outpaced her conscious thoughts and her hand closed around the shaft of a long, golden spear. 

“Er,” Harrie said. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Well, generally spears are used to stab people,” Hedwig said. 

“I don’t want to stab people!” Harrie shouted. 

“You won’t have to stab most people. Just your rival.” 

“My rival?” 

“Yes, your rival. Your opposite number. The one whom _my_ rival chooses as _her_ champion.” 

Harrie clutched the spear close to her chest. She felt as though her head was spinning. “This is the second time you’ve mentioned your rival... opposite… whatever,” Harrie said. “Why don’t you just fight her yourself?” 

Hedwig sighed. “That’s against the rules.” 

“What rules?”

“The rules of Heaven and Hell, of course!” 

Harrie blinked. “What? Wait. Heaven? You said you were a celestial being...does that mean you’re an angel?” 

Hedwig tittered. “In a manner of speaking. My true form doesn’t look anything like how humans imagine angels to look, however.” 

“Oh,” Harrie said, vaguely disappointed. “So you’re not really a beautiful woman with snow-white wings?” 

Hedwig sniffed. “Definitely not.” 

Harrie didn’t know what to say to that. 

“If my opposite and I were to fight directly, it could very well destroy this planet,” Hedwig continued. 

“Oh,” Harrie said. “So your opposite is...a demon, then?”

“Something like that. She’s an Abyssal being.” 

“Is she another owl?” 

“Her favored form is that of a snake. So if you see a classmate with a new pet snake, she could be your rival.” 

“I see,” Harrie said. She was getting rather tired of this conversation.

Hedwig’s amber eyes flashed. “Do you?”

“What?” 

“Do you see?” Hedwig launched herself into the air, and circled around Harrie. “The Weapon of Heaven is only part of it. You still need your mahou-uniform.” 

“My what?” Harrie turned, keeping Hedwig in sight as she flew. 

“Your uniform! It absorbs damage, and has an enchantment woven into it to make normal humans not notice you while you’re fighting,” Hedwig alighted on Snape’s desk and tilted her head again. “I’ve given you your weapon, but you have to do this next part yourself.” 

Harrie, now fully convinced this whole thing was a hallucination brought on by cleaning fumes and lack of food, decided she’d humor this strange figment of her imagination. 

“Alright, what do I do?” 

Hedwig straightened herself up and puffed out her feathers. “Hold your right hand in the air and repeat after me: Crimson Ruby Activation!” 

Harrie made a face at Hedwig. “That sounds really stupid.” 

“It may sound stupid, but those are the words to materialize your mahou-uniform.” 

Harrie sighed. Maybe she passed out and hit her head while scrubbing the pans of first-year cooking disasters. She wondered when Snape would be back. 

Harrie raised her right hand and said, “Crimson Ruby Activation.” 

Nothing happened. 

“Welp. I guess it’s not me, then,” Harrie said. “I’ll just be getting back to detention and you’ll have to find yourself another girl.” 

The sunlight seemed to dim as if a cloud had passed overhead, the air in the room chilled so much that Harrie swore she could see her own breath. The room darkened, every shadow growing deeper, denser. Hedwig blazed with a radiant light in the gloom. Her golden eyes glowed and she seemed to grow several sizes in a moment. Harrie was looking at a large snowy owl, but somehow had the impression of something much, much bigger, with several flaming wings and a multitude of eyes, wearing an owl mask. 

**_“I do not make mistakes,”_ ** Hedwig intoned. Her voice shook the very foundations of the building. **_“You are my chosen Champion.”_ **

Every hair on Harrie’s body stood on end. A horrible, atavistic fear rocked her from head to toe. 

Then everything abruptly went back to normal and Hedwig was just a regular talking owl again. “So, perhaps this time, you’ll say it with more...oomph?” 

Harrie nodded so vigorously her glasses nearly flew off her face. 

She threw her right hand in the air, and, still feeling faintly silly, shouted, “CRIMSON RUBY ACTIVATION!” 

All at once, she was surrounded by a flurry of red and gold sparkles. They were drawn to every part of her school uniform like moths to a flame. Harrie reached out to touch them, but they didn’t feel like anything. The sparkles coalesced into a solid red-gold light and, with one last blinding flash, they vanished. 

Harrie’s formerly charcoal-grey-with-red-accents school uniform had been replaced by a bright red pleated skirt and skin-tight blouse ensemble. The blouse had a giant bow in the front, and what appeared to be a sailor uniform collar. The whole thing was a brilliant red and trimmed with gold. 

“Wow,” Harrie breathed. “I look like an idiot in a cheap Halloween costume.” 

Hedwig narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps that is not the best version.” 

She flew over to Harrie and circled around her head three times. A single snowy white feather dropped down, and Harrie reached out without thinking and caught it. 

There was another flurry of sparkles, but this one was gentler. When the light died away, Harrie’s outfit was now pure white with poofy sleeves and red and gold trim. Her arms and legs were encased in a fine, gauzy black fishnet. The sailor uniform collar remained, however, but at least there was no bow. 

Hedwig returned to Snape's desk (and how long had Snape been gone, anyway?) and looked Harrie over with a critical eye. “Yes, that’s much better. More aesthetic, as the kids these days say.” She tilted her head again. “That is what you say, isn’t it? Or is it ‘mood’?” 

Harrie grimaced. “Something like that.” 

“Anyway, I shall return to you tomorrow, and our game will officially begin!” Hedwig said. And then she was gone in a flash of light. 

“Hey! How do I change back?” Harrie called to an empty room. 

* * *

Across the courtyard, on the roof of a building with a perfect view of Severa Snape’s Home Ec classroom, a tall, dark-haired girl stood as still as a statue, with only the wind blowing her long hair and skirt to show she was in fact a living being. Her eyes shone a fiery red like coals banked in a fire. Her clothes were a dark reflection of Harrie’s mahou-uniform, but with green and silver in place of red and gold. Draped over her shoulders and around her neck was a long, black-green snake. 

“Sssso. My opposite has chosen her Champion,” the snake said. “Tomorrow, we shall begin.” 

Tommie Riddle’s face betrayed no emotion, and she said nothing. 


	3. Flying Lessons on a Saturday?

Getting out of detention and back to Leaky’s pub without drawing attention to herself was an interesting experience. But it was as Hedwig had said. The eyes of other people just slid right past her while she was wearing the mahou-uniform. Unfortunately, that meant she had to run for the train again, because the doors closed right in her face. Harrie clung for dear life on the backmost train car in an odd reprise of her morning commute. The skirt of her mahou-uniform flew up around her waist, but at least none of the passersby seemed to notice her at all. 

Getting into Leaky’s was not tricky, but she couldn’t start her evening cleaning while wearing the uniform. She resolved to change as soon as she got to her room. 

Once in her room, Harrie discovered a problem. The uniform wouldn’t come off. No amount of tugging, pulling, squirming, or swearing seemed to help. Finally, she gave up and collapsed on her narrow bed. 

“This has been the weirdest day,” she muttered. 

She took off her glasses and rubbed her face. She’d just close her eyes for a few minutes. Then, she’d get up and do her cleaning duties, mahou-uniform or no. 

Predictably, Harrie fell fast asleep. 

* * *

The moonlight spilled like molten silver across the park. The wind picked up, causing the cherry trees to shed their petals in a blizzard of pink. 

Harrie stood on a gentle rise, her white uniform blazing in the moonlight, and the grass whispering around her feet. She clutched the Spear of Heaven, and stared at the girl on the other side of the park. 

A spark of recognition lit briefly and then was gone. 

Harrie squinted, but couldn’t make out the other girl’s face. She looked so familiar…

Hedwig landed next to Harrie. She was as big as a house and had extra wings and eyes and yet Harrie knew she was Hedwig. 

“You have to kill her, Harrie,” Hedwig said. 

“I don’t…” Harrie started.

“Yes you do.” Hedwig sounded sad. “Those are the rules of the game.” 

“But...what if I change the rules?” 

Hedwig turned to her and opened her beak to say something. 

**_“BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP”_ **

Harrie stepped back, alarmed, and then the dream melted into tatters.

She woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside her window and her alarm blaring. She switched the alarm off and swore as she overbalanced and fell out of bed. 

She lay there for a minute, trying to gather her bearings, and then climbed up to reset her alarm for the evening. And then she un-set it after remembering that it was Saturday. She was back in her Hogwarts School uniform. 

“So it was just a dream,” Harrie murmured to herself, relieved. 

There was a tapping on the window behind her. 

Harrie froze. 

The tapping continued. 

“If I don’t turn around, I don’t have to deal with it. Whatever it is,” she told herself. 

“Maiden! You must let me in! These pigeons are very territorial!” 

Harrie groaned. It was Hedwig. 

She climbed over the bed and unlatched the window. The great snowy owl fluttered in and landed on her nightstand where she started grooming her feathers. “Miserable rats with wings,” Hedwig muttered. 

Harrie stared at her for several long moments as she put her feathers to rights. 

“So it wasn’t a dream,” Harrie said, despairing. 

Hedwig laughed. “Oh no, Maiden, it definitely wasn’t a dream.”

“My name isn’t Maiden.” 

Hedwig regarded her with a large amber eye. “Well you didn’t divulge that information at our last meeting.” 

“You didn’t ask!” 

Hedwig ruffled her feathers and gazed imperiously at Harrie. “Well?” 

“Harrie. Harrie Potter.” 

“Harry? That’s an odd name for a girl,” Hedwig said. 

“It’s short for Harriet, I guess, but my mum and dad liked the sound of ‘Harrie’ better.”

“Mum and dad?” Hedwig asked sharply. 

“You know, the people who made me? Do I have to explain how that works too?” 

“No, no! I know enough of how human reproduction works. Too much. Disgusting.” Hedwig fluttered her wings. “They’re not still with you, are they?” 

Harrie narrowed her eyes at the owl. “No..?” 

“Good,” Hedwig said, visibly relieved. “It’s against our rules to use girls that aren’t orphans. For practicality reasons, you know. Best to have as few earthly ties as possible.” 

“Uh. Hmm.” Harrie said, not liking the implications of that.

“And you’re an even more perfect candidate than I initially thought, since you live above a pub with no family in sight!” Hedwig said, gesturing to Harrie’s small room with a wing. 

“That’s hardly reassuring,” Harrie told her. 

“Anyway!” Hedwig said, clearly changing the subject. “Today is the day our game begins. The first battle with your rival will take place at sundown on top of King’s Cross station!” 

“On _ top _ of the station?” 

“Yes, we must have these where they’ll involve as few humans as possible.”

“But the top of that is all glass!” Harrie envisioned the entire roof of King’s Cross collapsing on people changing trains. 

“Yes, but, you’ll be flying, so it won’t be a problem.” 

“I’ll be what now?” Harrie said, sure she’d misheard. 

“Just make sure your attacks don’t cause any collateral damage. Your rival, the champion of my opposite, will be seeking to destroy the building, and you must stop her.” 

“No, no, go back to the flying bit,” Harrie said, holding up a hand to stop the flow of exposition. 

“Ah, yes,” Hedwig said. “I suppose I still need to teach you to use your powers.” 

“Powers,” Harrie stated. “Pow- _ ers _ ? as in, more than one? What about that Heavenly Spear or whatever?”

“Spear of Heaven.” 

“Yeah that thing,” Harrie paused. “Actually, I’m not sure what happened to it? I might’ve left it at school…” 

She grimaced at the owl, expecting a reprimanding. She had a magic weapon for less than a day and she’d already misplaced it. 

But Hedwig only laughed. “You can’t just leave it behind, my dear. It’s bound to your heart.” 

Harrie instinctively looked down her uniform blouse to see if there were any bits of spear sticking out of her chest. There weren’t.

“So is that a metaphor, or..?” Harrie asked. 

“Oh no, it’s magic, of course.” Hedwig said, fluttering over to Harrie’s desk and inspecting her stack of unfinished homework. “The power lives within you to be drawn upon when you need it. The same for your mahou-uniform.” 

“Speaking of that,” Harrie said. “How do I change out of it?” 

“Change out of what?” 

“That ma-whatsit-uniform.” Harrie rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “I couldn’t get it off last night, and I sort of fell asleep with it on. But it was gone when I woke up.” 

“Oh. Well, you just need to shout ‘Deactivate’ and it will morph back into your normal clothes.” 

“That would’ve been nice to know before I left school,” Harrie muttered. 

“What was that, dear?” 

“Oh, nothing!” Harrie clapped her hands together. “So! Powers?” 

“Of course,” Hedwig said. “Change into your uniform, and then our first lesson will begin.” 

* * *

Harrie stood on the rooftop of Leaky’s, looking down into the weed-choked back courtyard. 

“You want me to  _ what _ ?” Harrie asked, as she watched a lone rat scurry from one over-full bin to the next. 

Hedwig was perched beside her on a chimney pot. She regarded Harrie with slitted amber eyes. “Jump.” 

“What am I supposed to do? Flap my arms and hope for the best? I’m not a bird, Hedwig! I don’t know how to fly!” 

Hedwig sprang into the air on silent wings and hovered above the courtyard. “I keep telling you, Harrie. You must let the magic do its work! The power lives inside you. You have to  _ believe _ .” 

“Well I  _ believe _ I’m gonna break my neck jumping off a bloody building,” Harrie retorted. 

Hedwig made a noise of disgust and vanished in a flash of light. Harrie blinked stupidly at the spot Hedwig had just been in. She was just turning around to go back inside like a sane person when Hedwig blinked into existence right in front of her. The owl put both feet on Harrie’s shoulders and pushed her over the edge of the building. 

* * *

Tommie Riddle sat upon the roof of the clocktower atop King’s Cross station. Nagini curled up next to her. There was a brisk wind that brought with it the scent of the coming autumn. Tommie considered the massive structure of glass, brick, and steel. She was rather fond of this station, as seeing it on September first meant that school was starting again, and she would be away from the awful urchins and drunken matron of Wool’s Orphanage for ten whole months. 

But sentiment was wasted now. She had a much bigger destiny, as she had always known she would. 

“I always knew I was special,” she murmured. 

“Of course you did,” Nagini hissed, raising her head and tasting the air with her forked tongue. “I always pick the best of the best to be my champion. My Maiden of Hell.” 

A small smile curled the edges of Tommie’s lips. She raised her left hand in the air and called with all the darkness in her heart. The shadow cast by the weathervane fell across her open palm. It lengthened and solidified into a long, obsidian black glaive. Tonight, she would destroy King’s Cross and kill Harrie Potter. 

And then, she would use her Hell Glaive to bring the world to its knees. 


End file.
